Overview & Reviews

Land Rover is a luxury SUV manufacturer that has its roots in England. Many of its vehicles are replete with the sort of leather-lined comforts that call to mind hunting lodges and high tea. Land Rovers are also known for being stellar trail-busters, endowed with the moxie to get down and dirty when the road gets rough. Currently owned by Tata Motors, Land Rover is one of just a few automotive brands in the United States to solely market SUV products.

After World War II, two British brothers, Spencer and Maurice Wilks, were impressed by the rugged and versatile nature of the U.S. Army's Jeep. They worked with the British automaker Rover to create the first Land Rover in 1948. Called the Series I, this truck was equipped with permanent four-wheel-drive, a canvas roof and optional doors. These early Land Rovers were crude but extremely well-suited for operations in the field.

The 1950s saw Land Rovers moving toward increased power and refinement. Launched in 1958, the Series II offered added horsepower and a somewhat less rudimentary exterior, with sills designed to disguise the exhaust and chassis. The first diesel-powered Rover was also produced during these years. The Series IIA came next, in a production run that lasted from 1961-'71. As the '60s drew to a close, Rover was acquired by Leyland Motors Ltd. (which would later become British Leyland).

Land Rover's storied Range Rover made its debut in 1970. Equipped with a V8 engine and a body made mostly of aluminum, the stylish vehicle was more consumer-oriented than its predecessors. In the mid-'70s, British Leyland was nationalized; by the mid-'80s, the company — renamed the Rover Group — had been acquired by British Aerospace.

The automaker officially entered the U.S. automotive market in 1987 when the Range Rover made its debut on American shores. It was followed in 1989 by the Discovery, which was initially offered only in two-door form. The Discovery was the first all-new Land Rover in 19 years.

In the 1990s, the sudden popularity of the burgeoning SUV segment placed the brand in an enviable position. In response, Land Rover's vehicles, while still retaining their go-anywhere attitude, became more luxurious, particularly after BMW bought the company in 1995.

The Land Rover family of vehicles has continued to grow. The late '90s saw the introduction of the Freelander; the compact sport-ute held the distinction of being the first production vehicle to offer Hill Descent Control. The latter optimized maneuverability on steep descents by automatically braking to keep the vehicle's speed in check.

BMW's control was short lived, however, and in 2000 Land Rover was sold to Ford. Ford worked hard to improve the reliability of Land Rover's vehicles, but by 2008 Ford's financial instability resulted in Land Rover being sold again, this time to the Indian automaker Tata Motors.

Today, Land Rover is still well known for its luxury SUVs, including the ritzy yet rugged Range Rover as well as smaller and more affordable models like the LR4 and Evoque.

User Reviews:

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  Perfection - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By Melissa - August 14 - 4:13 am

  The ride is smooth and very relaxing, especially on the mountain terrain. The new terrain system is a masterpiece. Its better than the Range Rover.

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  Smash Hit and Fun in every way! - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover
  By atf - August 13 - 10:23 pm

  Fit and finish is great. Once you sit inside you are impressed. This car has it all plus character! Power is great! The sound system is second to none...simply the best. Steering is supurb. Comfort for all passengers. AC in the seats. This car will wow you!

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  05 Tonga green with tan HSE - 2005 Land Rover LR3
  By MrMaster - August 10 - 6:16 pm

  Originally wanted a silver HSE, realized availability issues; found a Tonga green due for delivery and not yet spoken for. Im really happy with the color combo we got (tan interior) and actually feel it looks better than the silver, due to the freezer-box shape of the vehicle. Added a brush guard, door guards, and rubber mats.

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  Bold and Beautiful - 2008 Land Rover LR3
  By Gautam Gupya - August 9 - 10:43 pm

  Fun to drive, very comfortable ride. I have test driven BMWs an Audi but of no match. Shift it to manual and then feel the difference if you want to.

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  Great Drive, Very English Car - 2005 Land Rover Freelander
  By jlg - August 9 - 8:16 am

  Great driving smaller SUV. Learn about english cars before buying very quirky and odd at times. It is different and a land rover. But you could probably buy something more pratical, but why? If you want something to drive without attention dont buy this one. Overall I like it but not without issue with some things. The greast thing it has is a heated Windshield. Everything else I wonder who designed it, so I could rough them up. It is a neat car though.For the right person.

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  Get it! youll never have anything else - 2004 Land Rover Range Rover
  By RoverfreakNH - August 8 - 7:56 am

  I cant even explain how happy I am with my " Rova," its such a pleasure to drive, The dealership service is flawless, 30K miles in 16 months and the only service has been oil changes, tires and a secondary dead cooling fan that was covered by the factory. Salesperson told me " once you have it for a year, youll never want to be in another SUV but yours", She was right! I cant stand being in anything else!

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  Expensive piece of junk!!! - 2002 Land Rover Range Rover
  By Shaniece - August 7 - 4:56 am

  ...horrible...I purchased a Range Rover from someone and in less than 24 hours, it caught on fire and burned up on the way to the guys mechanic, with my 3 year old in the car. I didnt even get a chance to insure it, because it was a weekend. I contacted Range Rover, they were like "oh well" and even took the seller to court for my down pmt back . Get this...he tried to counter sue me for pain and suffering for not receiving the remainder balance, and report my check because I stopped them. The judge did not rule in my favor, and I lost the fastest $5k ever in history...at least for me. Im still devastated.

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  Wonderful 2010 RRS has crown waiting - 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  By RRS10owner - August 6 - 12:50 pm

  Ive owned my 2010 RRS HSE Lux for about a week now. Im impressed. Its Santorini Black with the Black extended leather package, 20" alloys, HD/Sat. Ive owned many luxury SUVs but this one is special. I visited my dealer with the intent of picking up a 2009 full sized RR SC but after seeing the improvements to the Sport, especially the 2010 interior and the new engines, I was sold. Even talked myself out of the SC unit since the 375HP standard Jaguar based engine is fabulous. What an amazing vehicle, 500 miles to date and since reliability is always a question for these vehicles I should report that mine is perfect so far. Please be as reliable as my BMW/Mercedes and you will be king.

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  The worst SUV on the road - 2002 Land Rover Freelander
  By Kenneth - August 3 - 3:33 am

  Ive never had a car with this much problems. It has been in ths shop 6 time in less than 2 years. First time the check engine light came on it was still under warranty. Then the cooling system went haywire. It took three times for the dealer figured out what the problem was. After repacing the hoses, cooling fan and then finally the water pump. Then the brakes wear out unusally fast tearing into the rotors, twice in less than 18 months. Then the sunroof clatters. The back door wont open it needed the motor replaced. Then finally with less than 75k the Transmisson went out the whole thing needed to be replaced.

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  Stylish Beast - 2008 Land Rover LR2
  By Mike J - July 31 - 11:36 am

  The best looking crossover out there, with tons of safety features- in the safety department, second to none. Everyone thinks its a Range, but its half the price and does the trick for me. Ive had it for over a month and still love getting inside to drive every day.